Automating Useful Representations of the Design Process from Design Protocols

This paper presents a systematic method for automating the generation of representations of the design process from a design protocol. It focuses on representations that allow for qualitative analysis of design framing, investigating ways to identify interesting framing phenomena and to qualitatively trace their origin. It takes a situated approach in its understanding of cognition and draws inspiration from linkography and framing analysis and seeks to address some of their limitations. It shares a semi-automated method (using natural language processing and human coding), a proof of concept for a fully automated method (using a commercial large language model), and explorations in how the representations may be used. The significance is the potential for such methods to be used in design science, practice, and education given that representations can be created in near real-time.